Sorry I've been MIA.

I haven't forgotten about any of you, and I have still been reading a bunch of blogs. I'm super busy with classes and my internship lately, and I'm dirt broke now that I've gotten my car fixed after over a year of it needing a new engine (yay, cars!), so my crafting has been at a temporary halt. I did however get a rush of excitement when my sweet annie arrived from Raspberry Lane Primitives! It was beautifully wrapped, too. :D

The wrapping paper that the package came in was pretty funny. I'm a very un-Tinkerbell kind of girl, so I loved the unintentional irony, haha.

It all smells so good. This is going to sound weird, but it smells like something I used to feed my beloved pet rat, so after several years, this was a pretty nostalgic scent. :)

I finally stuffed my "Old Witch" stockings (pattern by Tennessee Ridge Primitives) with the sweet annie I've been wanting for so long. I LOVE them now, instead of glaring at them, dreading how empty and unenthusiastic they look. Once again, my camera fails to do justice. (I have since put more in the "witch" stocking after seeing the lack of balance from this photo, haha.)

Oh and Gina, this one's for you, haha (they stick out like a sore thumb, eh?):

Other than school, my internship, and dealing with my car, I am embarassed to admit that I have started up another hobby that I actually started crafting to keep myself from. This is going to sound silly, but I used to be HIGHLY addicted to an online video game called World of Warcraft. I quit a few months back (again) and started sewing prims to keep myself doing something, and I was happy with it. Then my friend from Idaho offered to pay for my monthly account fee so I would come back and play with him again. Needless to say... I'm sucked back in, haha. I haven't told my friends, and I have no intention to. I'm pretty sick of the jokes. Anyways, I have NOT given up on crafting and I still love prims to pieces, I've just been really stressed and unmotivated to sew recently. I do cart my sewing machine and massive bag of fabric, etc. with me to Ma's every Monday, so I at least have that time to sit and craft. There's no internet there, either, haha! I promise you, I am not done crafting, and I will have plenty new goodies to share. But yes, if you haven't heard of World of Warcraft or it's effect on people, it's a little something like this:

Goodies from friends!

Sorry I haven't posted in a little while, I haven't really been around this weekend since my package finally arrived...

It had been about two weeks since Gina from Cat Nap Inn Primitives sent me a box of autumn goodies just because she's awesome. She didn't even know me that well, and she still set up an amazing goodie box for me and shipped it out across the country... People like her renew my faith in people. :) Anyways, so it had been a long time and I still didn't receive her gift in the mail. We started to worry and I was afraid it got shipped to the wrong person or got lost somewhere in parcel-space. Then Friday, I checked my mail and saw that I had a note from the mailman on a piece of spam that otherwise would have been chucked immediately, telling me I had a parcel at my front door. So I ran upstairs, through my apartment to the other door and snatched my goodies, haha. It really was like Christmas as I sat in my room pulling out each item gasping, oohing and ahhing in disbelief of the things she sent me. :)

 Everything on that table is from Gina. :) I am sooo in love with that little lamp and the potpourri smells amazing in it. That's probably why I haven't found a real spot for it yet just to keep it at my computer desk and nightstand so I can stare at it and smell it. ^_^

I've started to put a few things in places, but I'm still not happy with some of the decisions, so they might change from now.

I had this tiny corner shelf set up months ago and NOTHING small enough to fit on it, hahaha. I love the pumpkin and crow combo on the top, but the little white one might get moved somewhere else. I'm indecisive. :)

I still love this unit so much. I snuck in one of Gina's white pumpkins on here as well. I was originally going to try to keep them all together, but I like the subtle complement when they're placed one at a time in random places.

Mini side story time. So the little girl toilet paper cover below was made and given to my great grandmother (Ma) from her mother-in-law ages ago. It sat in the main bathroom of my great grandmother's house for years until my grandmother (Gram) decided to redo and redecorate the bathroom with some boring all-white deal. Needless to say, this piece did not fit and it got moved apparently to Ma's room after that, which was probably why I forgot about it. So years later to the present day, in the evening after I gave Ma her Pooh kitty, she came out of her room with this in hand. I originally was going to say she could keep it because it's not really my style, but considering that I don't have many things from Ma and I don't know how much longer she'll be around, I carried this little gal home and put her in my bathroom. I think of Ma whenever I see her, and I've grown quite fond of her, probably for that reason.

Anywho, I'm not sure I'm going to leave the little pumpkins from Gina there because that basket isn't really catching my fancy and I have no cute little dough bowls, but they're almost the same mustard color as Ma's doll's dress. So for now, they shall keep her company. :)

So as I've posted about before, I have this whole bright orange thing going on in my bathroom, and decided that the bigger pumpkin would fit in on one of the shelves. And it does! The problem is, I don't know what else to put with it... I love that little candle she sent me, and the candle placemat is adorable, so I feel it should be done more justice, so I'll probably move this around too at some point. I'm pretty much the most indecisive decorator ever, haha.

I snuck in another of the white pumpkins on that adorable little shelf above the toilet. I would glare at that empty space next to the rusty star plant thing, wishing I knew what to put there, and for now, the pumkin shall fill the void, haha.

So aside from the rusty tin lamp with deliciously scented autumn potpourri, which is kept near me in my messy area (hence no photograph, haha), this next bit has got to be one of my favorites. I've been wanting curtains for my kitchen window for soooo long (I love curtains, apparently), but there's no way to fit a tiny rod above it. So I actually ended up tacking the top of these above the window, haha. But hey! I love it! *squeee*

There are still things I don't have a home for yet, but here are my photos for now. :)

Also, remember how I've been saying that I've been wanting some sweet annie but didn't know where to get it/couldn't grow it, etc? I WON SOME! Ahahaha, I so happyyy, haha. I was one of the winners of the sweet annie givaway over at Raspberry Lane Primitives! I never win anything, haha. Somehow, things always seem to work like this for me... What I mean is, I've been having a really hard time lately freaking out about money considering that I had a dying car, needed to be able to get to campus and work, plus I might not be able to get my textbooks this semester... Needless to say, I've been stressed beyond belief and financially strung out. So after a really bad day, I came home to Gina's box-o-love, then a few days later got a message on Facebook saying I won some sweet annie... Really, both of these things made my day. It's all about the little things in life. Now my car is in the shop getting a whole new engine (and by new, I mean one with 125k miles on it from a junkyard), and my internship has been going smoothely. I actually caught a $45,000 mistake on my third day. :) Bring it, world!

I still need to learn how to take everything one day at a time with a fresh mind instead of carrying over all the stress from the previous days. I really hate cars for the fact that they make it nearly impossible to do this when they prove time and time again to be unreliable pieces of money-sucking crap. Hopefully, some day I'll be a big bad rich accountant, then I can buy a NEW car and be able to pay for whatever might happen along the way.

Anywho, thanks again for stopping by. I'll be sure to post pictures of updated decor from Gina, and definitely of things stuffed with sweet annie! I can't wait to put some in those stockings I made from a Tennessee Ridge Primitives pattern. :)

Pooh kitty for Ma. :)

I am sooooo happy with the way Pooh came out! I hope Ma loves him as much as I do. I'll have to make one of these for myself, too, hahaha. He is so sweet. :) Feel free to click on the pictures for a bigger photo.

He's a soft, painted, stained, cinnamon-rubbed, and sanded muslin kitty (my own design) with a homespun bow and a rusty safety pin holding on his rusty little bell. His arms and legs are "jointed", so he can either sit up or lay down. I really do need to make more of these. He took a long time to stuff and paint (I went through an entire season of Good Eats in the meantime), but it was so worth it. He's stuffed with rags and poly-fil (actually, dollar store wash cloths because I didn't have any old rags lying around), so he's just the right amount of firm and heavy.

Pooh was always very proud of himself and flaunted his big fluffy tail like it was a trophy, haha.

I'll be going out to Manchester to take care of Ma tonight, and I can't wait to give this to her. I really enjoyed making something with someone else in mind. I usually see something online, get inspired, and try to make something similar for myself (but always end up doing something way different), but this time, I had a very specific goal in mind. What would Ma like? A happy kitty. :) I really do hope she likes him. <3

I hope everyone has a happy, relaxing Monday. Take care. :)

Sooo many goodies! (Plus Fall pictures)

I went and splurged at Tessier's today first thing in the morning. It was kind of funny to see that I was one of at least 10-12 people who also showed up as soon as the store opened to take advantage of their sale, haha. Jerrie is so nice and that shop is so amazing! I wanted everything! I'm so happy with my purchases! Several items are some of those things where the more you look at them, the more you love them and the happier you are that you spent the money you shouldn't have spent, haha. Here is everything I got today: the framed stitchery (I don't know what they're actually called, haha), a cute grubby tea light, two grubby candle tapers still connected at the wick (I'd been wanting a pair for a long time), that long crate/basket, a new tissue box cover, 7 scoops of rosehips ($.75 per scoop! What a steal!), an old glass jar with rusty prim stars around the cork, an adorable mouse with a basket of nuts on his back, and my new Connecticut pillow. <3 <3

This pillow... The more I look at it, the more I love it. Anyone close to me could tell you that I have a strong, deep rooted love for my hometown and my homestate, so this pillow was pretty much made for me. <3

This is another piece I love more by the minute... "Clara 1811"

Oh my goodness, and this mouse! It's so adorable and so unique. It has rusty nails for legs, a rusty bell around its neck, and a super cute basket of moss, nuts, and a teeny tiny piece of homespun. I can't stop sniffing this poor guy, hahaha. He smells like the shop which smells like some cinnamon/banana nut/pumpkin spice/amazing combination that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Oh, so I ended up passing up that doll I was moaning about in my past post. I decided it would be wise not to bankrupt myself over it and that upon further inspection, I could live without it after all. Now I just need to craft my own army of prairie dolls to make up for it, haha.

I'm trying to talk myself out of going back tomorrow morning, but I make no promises, hahaha...

I can't believe how many leaves have already turned! My grandmother and great-grandmother live a down a half mile dirt road in the middle of the woods - it's amazing. I spent the majority of my childhood in that backyard or in that house. I lived there for six years before I came to this apartment, actually. Anyways, while I was driving down the driveway, I noticed that it seemed like half the forest was already bright yellow!

I took a few pictures from inside, looking out the sliding glass door into the back yard. That's my swing on the big tree to the right. That has been my special peaceful place since I can remember. I'm 22 now and I will never be too old for that swing.

Here's a few pictures of previous autumns near my grandmother's house. :)

The dirt road (Over the river and through the woods...)

To Grandmother's house I go. :)

More of the backyard.

My swing on the right again. <3

Anywhooooo, I guess now's a good time to go get crafting. I want to start making gifts for Ma (my 93 year old great-grandmother) and Gram (my grandmother). Ma absolutely loves cats and never quite got over the loss of her favorite kitty, Pooh. He was a beautiful, borderline snobby kitty with long, soft black hair and the biggest, prettiest tail you ever did see. One day, he got let outside and just never came back. Ma still blames herself for it and gets upset over losing him several years ago. So I want to make her a kitty...

As for the other project, Gram's birthday is actually on Halloween (how awesome is that?!), and she jokes around about being "witchy" (plus she's not always the most pleasant person in the world, so it seems fitting, haha), so I plan on making her some sort of witch for her birthday. I haven't started either project or sketched out a pattern to use, but I want them to be special. I'll have to think over some details to throw in, like a cute, worn out name tag for Pooh... I really want to make Ma smile. It's the little things in life.

For those of you in the CT area...

Image from Tessier's website

I went to Tessier's Changes of Thyme today as I said I would the other day, and I absolutely fell in love. The whole building, every item in the shop, I was just completely overwhelmed. It was what my dream home would be... I was there for a good hour and a half just looking around and chatting with Jerrie, the woman that runs everything. She's a very nice woman and the way she's set up and decorated the renovated barn is just breath-taking...

Anyways, the point of this was to remind those that might not know that they are having their annual Harvest Sale this weekend. Click --> here <-- for more details from their website. Trust me, with all the amazing items for sale here, you will want to take advantage of the 20% off everything. I know I'll be back first thing Friday morning.

That shop definitely put things into perspective for me relating to my crafting and my standards. Everything there blows my work out of the water. On one hand, that makes me feel pretty unhappy and discouraged, but I guess it also gives me inspiration to improve.

I fell in love with a tiny little prairie doll there, but it was the only item that didn't have a price tag (that's my luck). So I brought it out to Jerrie and asked how much it was and she told me it depends on the artist that made it, etc, and that that doll in particular was $35!!! I learned a lesson today: I need to continue with this Accounting degree if I ever want to afford a primitive home, haha. I didn't buy the doll, but I can't stop thinking about her. I don't know why, she's so small and simple, and way out of my price range, but something about her made me feel like I couldn't leave that store without her... even though I finally forced myself out the door... Le sigh... Hopefully I "get over her" before I go back Friday morning. I know with all the money I need to put into my car soon, I have no money to spend on this stuff, let alone $35 for a tiny doll...

Anywho, check out Tessier's this weekend during the sale. Maybe I'll see a blogger friend or two there, haha. Take care.

A few new things.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! So there were two main goodies I snagged from the same tag sale on Saturday that I think are worth sharing. The first was an amazing little tea light. I saw rosehips, pip berries, and homespun and snatched this baby off the blanket instantly. MINE. Haha...

The second thing I bought from this tag sale was a cute little aged candle box. I'm not sure where to put this cutie yet, but it'll come to me in time.

 

One man's trash is another's treasure. Someone in my complex put an old, beat up end table out by the dumpster today, and it caught my eye when I was outside. I brought it upstairs, whacked its nails a few times with a hammer, used a few squirts of hot glue to get the shelf stable, and BAM, perfectly good table for my living room.

I put a cute little wooden dish with putka pods and a forest green candle on it and it dawned on me that the candle was the same exact color as the pilgrim woman's dress. Now I finally have a place to put her and a few other small tag sale finds, haha. Those leaf garlands were sitting around unused, so I tried to find a way to use them here and it worked out perfectly. Is it sad that this made my day? Hahaha... It really is all about the little things in life. I can't count how many times I've said that, and I'm sure you'll catch me saying it many more times in the future.

I did a bit of organizing today which included painting some items I bought a while back. I was starting to form a "paint this" pile on my dining room table, so I decided to take some time on my Labor Day off to clear it out. One was a barn star that I put in the empty space of my bedroom wall, and another was this thing:

I'm not really happy with the way it came out. The part that urks me most is that I didn't take the time to sand off the original blue paint before I started, so it throws off the whole color scheme. I might just ditch all the paint and start over. I'm not thrilled with the way the star and corners came out either. Meh.

Also, I gave my word that I would mention a great givaway in my next post, so here it is. :D

Briar Ridge Farmhouse is having a special Halloween givaway! The winner will be chosen on October 1st. Click their button on my sidebar or right here to get to the givaway page. :)

I didn't get to visit the shop in Bolton yet, but hopefully I will get out there this week. I'm aiming for Wednesday, but I'm starting to talk myself out of it considering I have to drain all my funds to attempt to fix my car. I WILL get out there, I promise. :(

One last thing before I go. I can't remember if I had mentioned that I started working on a new project that is very different from what I usually make. Anyways, here's a sneak peek of my unfinished little girl. I plan on giving her a face this time and adding detail to her dress (which has a velcro closing in the back, so I can actually change her outfits!). She's the first doll I've made with "joints" and layers of hair. I love her so far. I don't have a name for her yet, but when more details are added and her personality comes through more, I will think of one. :)

This picture was taken by the light of my dining room candy corn. Yes, my candy corn! :D

Anywho, I hope you all had a relaxing Labor Day. Happy crafting!

So Excited! Thanks APP!

Thanks to the A Primitive Place blog, I found a beautiful prim shop just over 8 miles away from my home! Ahhhh, haha! I'm so excited, it's ridiculous. I plan on going there tomorrow right after the Mansfield Flea Market (assuming my car doesn't die in transit).

This is one of the pictures taken and posted by APP in their blog to show the shop. This is what will soon bankrupt me:

The shop is called Tessier's Changes of Thyme, and I absolutely can't wait to go check it out.

I grabbed a few goodies from tag sales today, but I have to leave for work so I'll post them another time. Thanks again for stopping by and have a lovely day. Enjoy the gorgeous weather while I'm cooped up in a shopping mall, haha. :)